Where I Stand - Brian Greenspun: Ensign's off-key melody

THE UNITED STATES Senate, for a song?

Nevadans are feeling the heat of the national spotlight as it is shined brightly upon the U.S. Senate race between Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. John Ensign. That's because the powers that be have targeted Nevada as a possible "pick-up" seat for the GOP. That means they consider Reid vulnerable enough to concentrate national dollars and national resources into our state in the hopes of pulling off an upset.

The Sun will express its opinion for our readers later this month about which of these two candidates will best serve the people of Nevada for the next six years. We take that responsibility seriously, especially this year, because there is so much at stake in this particular race.

In the meantime, though, I'd like to give some unsolicited personal advice to the congressman who yearns to be our next junior senator. It is a common mistake for those on the move to make a bad decision or two which could provide a fatal blow to the campaign. In that spirit, then, I'd like to suggest to Ensign that he is on the verge of doing just that.

Nevadans do not want nuclear waste in this state. They do not like a federal government that would offer a national policy of burying what the rest of the country doesn't want in our back yard. And they do not like a Congress that would forfeit the health and safety of Nevada families on the altar of nuclear power profits which benefit mostly our countrymen who live east of the Mississippi River. And they don't like someone like Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the majority leader of the Senate, whose desire it is to make the nuclear waste lobby and their millions of dollars happy.

But, most of all, they can't stand or understand a man like Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, the No. 1 proponent of dumping the most dangerous poison known to man just a few miles from our homes.

So, who does Ensign invite to Las Vegas to help him raise money and votes for his candidacy?

You guessed it. On Oct. 23, at the home of Randy and Kathy Black, Ensign has invited his good friends Lott and Craig to sing for a GOP supper to support his effort to unseat Reid, our senior senator.

What madness!

If there is one issue that unites Nevada families it is their overwhelming opposition to the high level nuke dump. All across the state, except for a labor union or two that want the benefit of some high-paying, short-term jobs, people have expressed themselves in absolute terms.

We are absolutely, unalterably opposed to allowing the rest of the country to dump its radioactive garbage in our back yard. And we have no use for the people who are leading the charge.

So why is Ensign bringing Sens. Lott and Craig to Nevada? He can't possibly think that Nevadans will think kindly upon him because he has invited the foxes into the henhouse, can he? He can't believe for an instant that Nevada's Republicans are any less concerned about the health and safety of their families than Democratic parents, can he? And, forgive me for asking, he doesn't believe for an instant that Nevadans will welcome those whose goal in life is to repay their nuke industry sponsors at the expense of our children, does he?

I hope not. And that's why I am so baffled as to why he would bring the "Singing Senators" to our state for a few lousy dollars when his candidacy for the Senate could hang in the balance.

No, I am not confused. I know Lott has a powerful position in the scheme of things and that's a reason why our gaming industry and others throw money at him when he runs for office. But that's a far cry from Ensign rolling out the red carpet for Lott and, worse, Craig, two men who have done all they can to destroy the quality of all of our lives in this state.

And, lest you think this is just politics as usual, consider this. After a great deal of politicking with friends on both sides of the aisle, Sens. Reid and Richard Bryan managed to secure enough votes in the Senate to sustain a promised presidential veto of the GOP effort to dump that radioactive garbage on Nevadans.

That stopped the nuclear industry cold -- this year -- and frustrated Craig, whose dream it is to remove 756 metric tons of nuclear waste from his state and send it our way. But the fight is still in the dog.

"Reports of the untimely death of the nuclear waste bill are greatly exaggerated. I'm the bill's author and I'm alive. So the bill isn't dead." That's what Craig said earlier this year. Is there any doubt about his plans for next year?

My advice to John is twofold: Be smart and convince the "Singing Senators" to show up in Nevada a man or two short and save yourself the potential of a campaign-destructive act.

Or, failing the ability to say "no thanks," he should move to Plan B, which is in the interests of all Nevadans:

John Ensign should use what he claims is his considerable GOP clout to convince Lott and Craig to sing a different song when they show up here this month. Let them promise that they'll drop all efforts to dump the nation's nuclear nightmare in our laps and, instead, spend the dollars necessary to find an appropriate national solution. Let them tell their nuke waste sponsors to find a different whipping boy because Nevada is no longer in the running. And, then, let them go back to Washington and do just that!

In the meantime, I'll keep my eye out for flying pigs!

archive